The Bail Bond Blog

An employee of an electronic monitoring contractor for Marion County Community Corrections was charged today with rape and official misconduct in an assault of a home detention client.

Investigators for the Marion County prosecutor’s grand jury division say the man pursued another home detention client days later and took her to dinner, leading to his arrest. He also admitted to having sex with a third Community Corrections client who has not yet been identified, Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said.
Brima Kemokai, 26, is being held in Marion County Jail on $1 million bond on charges of rape, criminal confinement and two counts of official misconduct.

Prosecutors say he raped a woman who had come to a Community Corrections office June 6 to have faulty GPS monitoring equipment repaired. A security guard was the only other employee on duty that Saturday night while the two were in a dark office, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Kemokai worked for three or four months as an equipment technician for Sentinel Offender Services, which started a one-year contract in February to provide electronic monitoring and equipment for Community Corrections.

“This case illustrates the need for the phrase, ‘Who’s guarding the guards?’” Brizzi said during a news conference this afternoon with Community Corrections Director Tom Marendt. “I believe there is at least one other victim, if not more.”

Investigators are seeking the identity of the client Kemokai claimed to have had sex with, Brizzi said, and will look for other possible victims.

Kemokai is a citizen of Sierra Leone who has permanent resident status, according to Brizzi. Marendt said he passed Sentinel’s background checks when he was hired.

Call Star reporter Jon Murray at (317) 444-2752.

Prosecutor: He allegedly told bank tellers he was on mission to kill Obama

SALT LAKE CITY - Authorities have arrested a man who allegedly told bank tellers while cleaning out his savings account that he was on a mission to kill President Barack Obama, a federal prosecutor in Utah said.

Daniel James Murray was arrested in Laughlin, Nev., by the U.S. Secret Service and Las Vegas metropolitan police, Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Bearnson said Saturday.

The 36-year-old man had been charged Thursday with conveying threats while talking to tellers last month at Zions First National Bank in St. George, Utah.

Bearnson said in Salt Lake City, where the felony charge was filed, that Murray was arrested Friday. He said Murray was in federal custody in Nevada and probably will get a court date there on Monday.

Source= Associated Press

An embattled Collier County bail bonds company accused of illegally soliciting business behind bars is in more hot water after authorities arrested another employee Wednesday when they learned she is a convicted felon.

It is against the law in Florida for a convicted felon to be employed with a bail bond company in any capacity.

Arrie Denise Robinson, 46, 805 Breezewood Drive, Immokalee, is employed by Express Bail Bonds in Immokalee as a secretary, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Karie Partington said. However, her arrest report lists her occupation as “bail bondsman” even though she is not a licensed agent.

Robinson was arrested Wednesday afternoon at work, and charged with one count of allowing a convicted felon to be a bail bond agent, which is a felony.

Several Express employees have been arrested over the last two years, including owner Joe Houston, 36, and Juanita Williams, 52, who manages the Immokalee location. They were both charged in December 2007 with soliciting business inside the county jail, and are free on bond awaiting trial.

Their bond licences have been suspended.

On Tuesday, investigators initiated contact with ex-Express employee Frank Gonzalez for follow-up questioning about Houston and Express Bail Bonds, the Sheriff’s Office reported. Gonzalez, who worked with Houston between 1998 and 2003, now owns Golden Gate Bail Bonds and Frank Gonzalez Bail Bonds.

He alerted authorities to Robinson, who was arrested in 1985 for welfare fraud and convicted a year later, reports said. She was also found guilty of violating her probation in 1990, reports said.

“They contacted me. I never contacted them,” Gonzalez said Thursday. “… I’m not a revengeful person. I try to be a forgiving person. But like I said, at this point here I was contacted by the investigators that are handling Mr. Houston’s case.”

On Wednesday afternoon, while posing as a potential customer, a Sheriff’s Office investigator called Express Bail Bonds and spoke to a woman who identified herself as “Arrie.” He then sent a road patrol deputy to the business to verify it was Robinson he was talking to, and to arrest her.

Authorities checked several inmate phone calls to Express Bail Bonds in Immokalee over the past month, and identified Robinson as the employee answering the phone and processing bonds.

“The bail bonds agency is basically representing the court. They’re in charge of felons,” said Ray Wenger, who administers bail bonds for the Florida Department of Financial Services. “You don’t want felons taking care of felons.”

Employees who answered the phone at the Express Bail Bonds in Immokalee and in Naples on Thursday afternoon both declined comment on Robinson’s arrest. In the past, Houston and Williams have claimed to be victims of racial discrimination, saying the Sheriff’s Office targets their businesses because they are black and successful.

In January, the Collier County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People announced it was launching an investigation into the Sheriff’s Office for racial discrimination against Houston and Williams, though it released no evidence supporting its allegations.

Partington said the Sheriff’s Office treats all bail bond companies equally.

Source= http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/may/14/bails-bond-worker-arrested-being-convicted-felon/

A bail bondsman has been arrested for allegedly punching a 44-year old man in front of the Kroger Store on Middle TN Blvd. in Murfreesboro. Police charged bail bondsman Matt Garrett with the aggravated assault of Tony Lynch. 28-year old Garrett will appear before a judge during a hearing on June 25th.

Witnesses claim that Garrett punched Lynch after a brief argument. As a result of the punch, Lynch had to be hospitalized for several weeks and now undergoes speech therapy, according to an article in the Murfreesboro Post. Prior to the argument the two were said to have, they were both in their vehicles on Middle Tennessee Blvd.

Written by Michael Lansing ·
WGNS News

In support of:

H.B. No. 6646 – An Act Concerning the Regulation of Bail Bondsmen
In opposition to:

H.B. No. 723 – An Act Concerning The Posting Of Ten Per Cent Cash Bail
The Division of Criminal Justice respectfully recommends the Committee’s Joint Favorable Report for H.B. No. 6646, An Act Concerning the Regulation of Bail Bondsmen. The Division expresses serious concerns with respect to Committee Bill No. 723.

For several years now the Division has sought to work closely with the General Assembly, the Judicial Branch and the affected agencies in the executive branch to bring about badly needed reform of the bail bond industry. H.B. No. 6646 contains much of what we have been seeking for a number of years and represents a comprehensive approach to reforming this industry. We note, however, that we do expect a fiscal impact on one or more agencies to be attributed to the implementation of this bill. We would bring the committee’s attention to H.B. No. 6354, An Act Regulating Surety Bail Bond Agents, a proposal supported by the Insurance Department. The Division of Criminal Justice provided testimony in support of H.B. No. 6354 and it was favorably reported, with some changes in language which continue to have the support of the Insurance Commissioner, by the Joint Committee on Insurance and Real Estate. While not as comprehensive as the bill presently under consideration, H.B. No. 6354 does contain language which would accomplish some of the goals of H.B. No. 6646 without the fiscal impact of H.B. No. 6646. They include:

The addition of a specific provision prohibiting the execution of a bail bond without charging the approved premium, and requiring biennial audits by the insurer of each licensee’s books for compliance with this requirement. The insurer would be required to report any failure to charge the filed rate.
The addition of monthly certification to the Insurance Commissioner of compliance with the approved premium rate for each bond written and authority for the commissioner to take action against the licensee for false certification;
The addition of a requirement that licensees who sell a bond on an installment plan have the defendant execute a promissory note and undertake efforts to collect on it if the payments are not made.
The addition of record keeping requirements and records retention schedules which will facilitate oversight of bail bond agents;
Reform in this industry is long overdue. Among the important issues that have been clearly identified are longstanding concerns with the systems now in place for the licensing of bail bondsmen, the regulation of the industry and its business practices and the process utilized for the collection of forfeited bonds. The Division of Criminal Justice is intricately involved in these matters on two fronts: (1) the role that prosecutors have in the courtroom of interacting with the court, the bail commissioner and the defense counsel in the setting of bonds in criminal cases; and (2) the responsibility assigned to the Division pursuant to Section 51-279b of the General Statutes to collect forfeited bail bonds.

The Division of Criminal Justice strongly supports the reforms included in H.B. No 6646, including the transfer of many of the licensing and regulatory functions to the Department of Public Safety and the transfer of the responsibility for the collection of forfeited bail bonds from the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in the Division of Criminal Justice to the Office of the Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General is a more appropriate agency for the collection of forfeited bonds. Article XXIII of the Connecticut Constitution establishes that the mission of the Division of Criminal Justice is to lead in the investigation and prosecution of all criminal matters in this state. The collection of forfeited bonds is entirely civil in nature, and thus would more appropriately be placed under the jurisdiction of the Attorney General, who has jurisdiction over civil matters.

With respect to H.B. 623 we have strong reservations and, therefore. oppose the bill. This legislation would remove the requirement of court approval prior to a ten percent bail being permitted and would make it available in all cases. This could have unforeseen consequences in terms of the effectiveness of bail in guaranteeing the appearance of a defendant and in the setting of bond amounts when courts cannot control which defendants are candidates for a 10% bond and which may need the backup of an established bail bond company with its financial incentives to track down and retrieve non appearing defendants.

Other concerns with respect to this bill are:

The difficulty of collecting the 90% of any bail which will be unsecured
The bill may discourage family members and third parties from posting 10% bonds. Under present practice they can post the bond (if 10% is approved by the court) and be assured that, as long as the defendant shows up, they will get every penny back. Under this bill they can never get more than 75% back and will be forced, in many cases, to risk having the defendant’s legal fees paid out of their bond money. This may have the unintended consequence of having fewer people post bond.
In conclusion, the Division of Criminal Justice would respectfully recommend the Committee’s Joint Favorable Substitute for H.B. No. 6646, An Act Concerning the Regulation of Bail Bondsmen. We express serious concerns with respect to H.B. No. 623 and oppose it. The Division would like to thank the Committee for this opportunity to present our input and recommendations and we would be happy to provide any additional information or answer any questions the Committee might have.

Content Last Modified on 3/16/2009 1:14:20 PM

Tyra Banks stalker Brady Green was convicted today of stalking but won’t do any jail time.

The 39 year old super market attendant was found guilty today after Tyra testified the defendant’s stalking left her afraid for her safety.

“Put Mr. Green in a location where he can thrive,” the judge said. “And that location is not likely to be the city of New York.”

Bwaaaahaaa….In other words, pack him up and ship him out!!

Green was convicted of stalking and harassment, and the judge extended an order of protection to keep him clear of TyTy. He should consider himself lucky because he could have faced 90 days in jail and an ass whoopin from the Tyra Wig Crypt Clique.

Source

Australian Associated Press

Teenage Queensland debutant Dom Shipperley helped the Reds out of jail with a dazzling late try for a 24-17 victory over Japan at Ballymore on Wednesday night.

The Reds were given a major fright by the enthusiastic Cherry Blossoms who held a 17-12 lead with 12 minutes left before flanker Scott Higginbotham and winger Shipperley crossed.

Shipperley, one of nine uncontracted players turning out for Queensland, evaded two defenders with some fancy footwork and blistering speed along the left touch line to seal the match.

Without the bulk of his Super 14 backline and four Test players, coach Phil Mooney had put the onus on his more experienced forward pack to take charge but they were never able to dominate in the way they would have liked against the willing tourists.

Under Eddie Jones in late 2006, another Queensland team without their internationals also scraped home with a 29-22 win in Tokyo.

The Reds dominated the first half, which was played almost entirely in Japan’s territory, but went into the break with their heads down after conceding a try after the halftime siren to trail 10-7.

Queensland halfback Ben Lucas fumbled a grubber near the line for Japan winger Koji Tomioka to pounce and score.

Lucas atoned in kind with a try-saving tackle on fullback Jack Tarrant early in the second half.

From the ensuing plays, Queensland took the ball to the other end of the field for improving centre Charlie Fetoai to charge over from a Dallan Murphy cut-out pass.

When rookie five-eighth Murphy darted through for a 12th minute try on the back of a Leroy Houston charge, the modest home crowd were licking their lips at the prospect of a lop-sided affair.

But the Cherry Blossoms, preparing for the Pacific Nations Cup, scrambled brilliantly in defence to snuff out a host of Reds chances.

They regained the lead midway through the second half through a brilliant 70m team try finished by replacement flanker Yoshitaka Nakayama but weren’t able to hold on.

Troubled rapper DMX has been released from Ten City Jail in Arizona according to his publicist Pam Pinnock. X was freed yesterday and is currently out on bail after serving three months behind bars on drug, theft and animal cruelty charges. DMX isn’t out of trouble yet, although he’s served his time for what he did prior to going into jail, DMX will still have to answer for what he did while he was in.

Pinnock says that DMX is set to hit court on May 19th to face charges for assaulting a correctional officer while he was locked up. X, the rapper, is signed to Bulldog Records and is reportedly working on a new album with fellow Ruff Ryder and hit producer Swizz Beatz.

Inmate program has had success, has been hurt by Madoff scandal
By Bo Petersen (Contact)
The Post and Courier

The house is a skeleton of new frames replacing termite-eaten wood. The crew hammering at it is every bit as precarious.

The builders are jail inmates, taking part in an AmeriCorps program that could become a national model. The program is a odd spur of the Noisette Foundation, a name most people would associate with the trendy mega-redevelopment of North Charleston. They are non-violent prisoners about to be released, learning hard-to-get skills and life training to keep them out of jail.

And just as the Lowcountry Civic Justice Corps is showing promise, its future teeters on finances that depended partly on a grant from a foundation gone bankrupt in the Bernard Madoff investment scam, an alleged Ponzi scheme that authorities say targeted scores of wealthy and powerful investors.

Over the past two years, the Corps has worked with 36 inmates from the Coastal Pre-Release Center on Leeds Avenue in North Charleston.

They work as construction crews for minister and builder George Jenkins and get intensive classroom sessions of GED education, computer, financial and life skills. Upon graduation, they get a community mentor and an education grant.

Of those three dozen, 31 graduated from the program, 19 are out on the street. None of the graduates has gone back to jail so far, and only one of the former inmates who started the program.

How good is that? Nearly one in every 4 inmates released statewide is back in jail in two years, according to a study by the S.C. Corrections department.

“I would just love to see the program expand. I’d like to see it offered to all pre-releases,” said Mildred Hudson, the coastal center warden.

Jenkins, himself a former inmate convicted of murder and robbery, scrapped his way back by house-sitting and doing handyman work in New York neighborhoods where the copper pipes were being stolen. He became a minister with a degree and a licensed builder.

It’s not generally known that inmates are released with a debt clock ticking. They must pay for mandated parole visits. They must pay for ankle bracelets. They must start paying accrued debts like child support — all of it, or they go back to jail. And when they fill out job applications, they get that cold stare.

They almost are compelled to do what they did before to make money: steal, sell drugs.

“It’s real hard. The temptation of just being free. It was scary,” said Maurice Simmons, 39, of Charleston, who served a sentence for robbery.

One of the first people to graduate from the corps course, he asked Jenkins for more work after being laid off at a plant job.

No, he said, he doesn’t think he still would be out if it weren’t for the program. “I think I’d be back to the same thing and be back in there.”

“You’re sitting in jail six years, being away from the other life, and you get thrown back out there,” said Mark Turner, 36, who is finishing a sentence for manufacturing methamphetamine.

“I lost all confidence in myself. I was almost begging to get in this program. I only did concrete before. Now I can just about frame a house, lead a crew. I can get back into it. These (Noisette Foundation) men and women have about the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen.”

The program has run on a $310,000 budget but expanded the six-month sessions to 19 inmates at a time this year at a cost of $360,000. AmeriCorps will pay $220,000 but only as a matching grant. A series of foundation grants have to pay the rest, including one from Noisette and one from the Jeht Foundation. But Jeht is the foundation that just went bankrupt in the Madoff scheme, leaving the corps program $50,000 short, said David Snyder director.

That doesn’t sound like much, but it pays for extras such as tools and helps pay for the education grants, the sort of touches that make the difference, organizers and inmates say. And there’s more money at stake in the AmeriCorps funding match. Snyder won a one-time $30,000 grant from the city of North Charleston to assure the program at least the first six months operation.

“Most people think of Noisette as a real estate deal,” said City Councilman Kurt Taylor after council awarded the money. “They don’t get the credit they deserve for the millions of dollars they have spent on community enhancement and social justice projects.”

The foundation is seeking other grants.

“If this program is viable and it continues to work, it’s going national. It’s imperative that we don’t fail. We’ve got to make it successful,” Jenkins said.

“These guys are coming home. We can either train them or let them go back and be part of the problem. I try to keep them from getting discouraged, don’t let the rejections of people make you go back and do something stupid. If they can survive, be flexible, shift to another plan, it works for everybody.”

Reach Bo Petersen at 937-5744 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.